Programs Director

Location: Eastern Ukraine, based in Sloviansk (government-controlled area of Donetsk district) + frequent visits to Kyiv for coordination/donor meetings and willingness to travel to non-government-controlled areas (NGCA). Family posting with family policy in place.

Duration of the contract: 18 months with possibility of extension

Date of start: ASAP

 

BACKGROUND:

People in Need (PIN) is a Czech Republic-based NGO globally working in the relief and development sectors. PIN has been active in Ukraine since early August 2014 and the humanitarian program has been rapidly expanding since then. Currently, PIN is one of the major humanitarian and aspiring development actors in eastern Ukraine providing neutral and independent humanitarian aid to conflict-affected people, as well as early recovery and development assistance in the east of Ukraine.

The PIN representative office is located in Kyiv. PIN’s field office in Slavyansk functions as the main base for PIN’s humanitarian operations in the government-controlled area and supporting office for the PIN field office in Stakhanov (Luhansk NGCA). PIN works in urban and rural locations, providing assistance to the most vulnerable and other conflict-affected populations within the Shelter/NFI, WASH, Food Security, Protection and Livelihoods sectors. Total volume of the current programs is 6 million USD funded by ECHO, OFDA, DFID and other donors. Currently, in the context of eastern Ukraine, PIN seeks to achieve a smooth transition - where possible - from emergency humanitarian assistance towards early and longer-term recovery, stabilization and peacebuilding efforts in the region. Humanitarian aid will continue to be provided to the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict, notably along both sides of the contact line and in non-government-controlled areas (NGCA).

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Programs Director (PD) provides strategic direction and supervision to all programs, with specific responsibility for development of the recovery and development-oriented interventions. Together with the Country Director, the PD represents PIN to donors and partners, ensuring that PIN is recognized for its field experience. Furthermore, the PD engages in medium and long-term planning and strategy activities (with special focus on the transition from the provision of humanitarian assistance to early and longer-term recovery, stabilization and peacebuilding interventions), including formulation of new proposals, ensures continuous quality improvement of programs, and contributes to a positive working environment for program staff.

Internal relations:

The PD reports directly to the Country Director, who provides direction and general supervision. The PD serves as the line manager for Emergency Coordinator, Technical Advisors, Head of Program Development and Quality Assurance unit, and works closely with the Head of Systems and Operations, Advocacy Manager and Desk Officer.

External relations:

In coordination with the Country Director, the PD attends meetings with donors, government partners, regional and local authorities, other agencies, clusters, coordination bodies etc.

 

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic planning and Senior Management:

• Assist the Country Director in the management of the country program and participate in senior management meetings and strategic decision making
• Lead the implementation and updating of the Country Strategic Plan on the program side
• Ensure that the overall program is designed, managed and implemented in conformity to People in Need’s policies, strategy and guidelines and appropriate to program needs
• Support the development of an organizational culture that reflects PIN’s values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up people to deliver outstanding results

Project and Program Implementation:

• Ensure effective operational management of PIN’s program through line management of Emergency Coordinator, Project/Program Managers, Technical Advisors, the Grants & Reporting team, and AME Unit
• Provide overall technical support for the effective implementation of activities in all programing sectors, including control over budget expenditures, while ensuring that transparency and compliance to donor regulations are maintained at all levels
• Ensure cross-cutting themes are mainstreamed, and the programs strategic plans are followed

Project Development:

• Coordinate the overall fundraising processes. This includes support for developing funding strategies in line with program strategies and country strategy; review and update program strategies as necessary
• Actively contribute to development of new proposals (together with the Grants & Reporting Manager and the Technical Leads)

Learning and information sharing:

• Contribute to exchange of experiences, lessons learned and good practices across sites, with other PIN country programs and via the Knowledge and Learning Department; promotion of learning from relevant best practices internally and externally
• Contribute to information flows to and from field sites, including updates into and from Cluster Coordination and other relevant meetings.

Human resources and capacity building:

• Ensure – through close cooperation with the Emergency Coordinator - that PIN retains its capacity to respond to emergencies within its program areas and is responsible for managing any small-scale emergency responses within the program areas
• Ensure effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measurable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations
• Coach, mentor the directly line managed staff, and propose other development opportunities

Representation, communications & networking:

• Support the Country Director to ensure that PIN is well represented and visible in the donor community, among key partners, and within coordination fora, delegating as appropriate to program staff
• Maintain and improve active and regular working relationships with local authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional donors, and local and international NGO
• Engage in advocacy and policy dialogues where appropriate

REQUIREMENTS:

• Proven working experience in humanitarian and development context, especially with program and/or mission management
• Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to humanitarian or development management, a Master’s degree preferred
• Strong operational understanding of development programming, especially in the areas of good governance, social inclusion and livelihoods
• Strong leader and team player with proven relationship and partnership management capacity, and experience working and communicating across organizations
• Proven current experience in grants development and acquisition, working with major humanitarian and/or development donors
• Capacity to provide authoritative guidance in areas of programming and to coach and mentor managers and members of the team
• Demonstrated analytical mind-set with problem-solving skills, able to conceptualize and systematize
• Experience in a conflict/post-conflict environment a plus; experience in the region a valuable advantage
• Excellent working knowledge of English; good knowledge of spoken Russian and/ or Ukrainian an advantage
• Excellent communication skills and cultural sensitivity
• Ability to work in difficult conditions and under pressure
• Ability to organize and plan effectively
• Mature, well-balanced personality able to work independently in challenging environment

PIN OFFERS:

• Salary as per PIN scale (per diems included): 3550 – 3850 EUR, depending on the seniority level
• Type of contract: consultancy contract or Czech employee contract for EU citizens
• Duration of the contract: 18 months with possible extension
• Accommodation allowance in Sloviansk, guest house in Kyiv
• Reimbursement of travel expenses with travel to the country of residence once per every 6 months of work
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with visa application procedure
• Medical helpdesk and psychological consultation available online
• Medical travel insurance
• 25 days of paid leave annually (compensational leave: if it occurs necessary to work over weekend or on holidays is compensated proportionally 1:1)

HOW TO APPLY:

Are you interested in this position? Send us your CV (no longer than 4 pages) and short cover letter via this link. Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis.

People in Need staff are expected to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need Code of conduct and key policies (available here).